MILITARY SCIENCE IN THE UNIVERSITY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 12, 15 January 1910, Page 6

MILITARY SCIENCE IN THE UNIVERSITY.

XO THE EDITOB. ! Sir,— ln to-night's issue appears a report I ol thiß morning's meeting of the Professorial Board of Victoria College. I do not know by whom the report was supplied, but it contains certain inaccuracies. For example, it ib stated that the board was not prepared to say who should control the Chair of Military Science. Probably, if a chair were ecstablished, there could be no question that it should be controlled by the College Council. The actual resolution reads as follows: — "The Professorial Board of Victoria College" agrees that the Government must ! provide in some form for theoretical education, as well as practical training, of officers ; and it is prepared to co-operate by every means in ita power in facilitate ing the combination of such education with other academic work. But the board is not ready to say that the responsibility of controlling the education of officers should rest with an academic body. In this and similar questions it would prefer that the judgment of Lord Kitchener be consulted. Referring again to your report, I notice that it is stated that there was not unanimity of opinion on the matter. It is perfectly true that at the beginning of the meeting unanimity of opinion did not prevail ; but during a long and careful discussion, as the difficulties in the way of the committee's suggestions on the one hand and the sympathy of the board with the committee's aims on the other became more fully realised, the opinion of the hoard came to be unanimous, and the resolution was arrived at with absolute unanimity 1 . On my own account, I may say that the free and exhaustive discussion that oharactenses the board meetings, constitutes one of o\ir best reasons for not having the meetings reported; unless, as perhaps, in this case, some matter of especial public | interest is being considered. — I am, etc., H. B. KIRK, Chairman of the Professorial Board. Wellington, 14th January, 1910.